Page 69 of The Thief's Mark

nineteen

Griff

Griffhadnotroubletracking Kelsith. The aura trail was still fresh enough thanks to the lingering taint from the void orb. Still, Griff thanked the Light for their fortuitous timing. If he and Cal had been much slower reaching Headquarters, the trail might have gone cold.

The faint splash of color led back out onto the street. Griff unholstered his revolver, holding it up and at the ready in case he ran into any trouble. He expected the route to lead him into back alleys, much as Cal’s aura had when he’d followed it earlier that night. Thieves like Kelsith tended to prefer the shadows.

But to Griff’s surprise, the aura trail moved straight down the nearly empty street. He frowned, his unease rising with each block that passed without the route swerving. It was as if Kelsith hadn’t even bothered to conceal his trail. Had he been that confident after his hand-off? Griff supposed it made sense that the average thief wouldn’t expect to be quite this easy to track.

Still, his instincts whispered at him to remain on edge.

His confusion only grew when, barely a handful of blocks from Headquarters, he found himself outside the door to a tavern. Torchlight flickered within, the smell of stale beer and the rumble of drunken laughter billowing out onto the street. Kelsith’s aura headed straight inside.

Griff furrowed his brow, studying the door with a frown. He knew this place—had walked past it plenty of times. This screamedtrap, but it wasn’t like he’d be walking into The Last Drop. What was Kelsith thinking?

Even more on edge than before, Griff eased open the door and stepped inside. Kelsith’s trail remained a distinct blotch of color in the air. Griff scanned the room, wincing and narrowing his eyes against the glare from the other patrons’ flickering auras.

Had that been Kelsith’s plan—to use the crowd here to obscure where he went next?

His revolver still out but pointed toward the floor, Griff cautiously stepped between the tables, wary of an ambush. But nothing about the nearby auras struck him as overtly suspicious. His roving gaze halted on a cloaked figure seated alone at the table in the far corner, sipping casually from a mug of ale. There was no mistaking it—the faint trail led straight to him.

Griff’s gut clenched as he approached the table. Something wasn’t right here, even if he couldn’t put his finger on what. Best to remain on his guard.

An older man—Kelsith, he presumed—glanced up at him as he approached. He flashed Griff a grin and raised his glass. “Ah, there you are! Took you long enough. Come, join me.”

If having Griff’s revolver leveled at him bothered Kelsith, he didn’t let it show on his carefree face. Merciful Light, was this where Cal had gotten it from?

Griff didn’t take his eyes off Kelsith for an instant as he slid into the seat across from him. Scattered detritus littered thefloor, and he almost tripped over a coil of discarded rope. He kept his revolver aimed at Kelsith beneath the table.

Kelsith watched him, his smile never wavering. Once Griff was seated, Kelsith raised his glass. “Ale, Inspector? My treat. I always find it makes difficult conversations flow smoother.”

Griff slowly shook his head. “I’ll pass.”

“Pity. The ale here is quite good, considering.” Kelsith took a deep gulp, then set aside his glass, his grin widening. “You know, I hoped it would be you that came for me. I’ve been looking forward to the chance to speak to Cal’s pet inspector. See what the fuss was all about for myself.” He leaned back in his chair, the picture of relaxation. “Though to be honest, I expected Cal. I had this whole heartfelt speech ready to apologize to him for stealing the void orb. Perhaps I could give it you, and you could relay it for me?”

Griff’s grip tightened on his revolver. “That won’t be necessary. We both know how insincere it would be.”

Kelsith feigned hurt, clutching at his chest. “Now, now, Inspector. Rudeness is no way to begin a negotiation. Surely you of all people know better.”

“Negotiation?” Griff gave a quiet snort.

Kelsith nodded, leaning in across the table. “That’s what this is, isn’t it? I have something you want—information—and you…well,doyou have anything I want?” Kelsith chuckled. “That remains to be seen.”

This wasn’t going at all as Griff had expected. Criminals usually tried to avoid or kill him, not chat him up in the local pub. He didn’t have time for this nonsense with Cal waiting for him back at Headquarters.

Annoyed, he loudly cocked his revolver beneath the table, satisfied when Kelsith’s eyes flicked down at the sound. “How about I just arrest you? Then, you can negotiate with the magisters to your heart’s content.”

Kelsith gave another chuckle. He slowly raised his arms, waving his empty hands toward Griff. “Come now, there’s no need for that. I’m no threat. Can’t we be civil and talk this through like gentlemen?”

“That depends on if you tell me what I want to know. Who hired you to deliver the void orb?”

Griff clenched his jaw as Kelsith tutted. “I can’t break my client confidentiality. That wouldn’t make me very trustworthy, now would it?”

“As if you’re trustworthy to begin with after how you betrayed Cal—twice now, if I’m not mistaken.”

That seemed to hit a nerve. Though Kelsith’s grin never wavered, Griff caught a telltale flicker in his aura. “I take it he told you about our last mission together.”

“He told me how you left him there. And how you vanished without a trace, abandoning him.”